But they do not report impaired sexual relationships or poor self-esteem

-- Jane Parry

Thursday, March 4, 2010 (Last Updated: 03/05/2010)

THURSDAY, March 4 (HealthDay News) -- Young male cancer survivors report poorer quality of life, lower energy levels and impaired sexual function compared to their healthy counterparts, but these factors do not affect their sexual relationships, self-esteem or level of psychological distress, according to a study in the March 15 issue of Cancer.

Diana M. Greenfield, Ph.D., of the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom, and colleagues conducted a study of 176 male cancer survivors aged 25 to 45 years and 213 male controls. The participants completed quality-of-life, self-esteem, fatigue and sexual function questionnaires.

In almost all of the survey domains, cancer survivors had lower scores than the controls, and cancer survivors with androgen deficiency had lower scores than those without, the researchers found. However, the cancer survivors did not report elevated levels of psychological distress, poorer self-esteem or impaired sexual relationships, the investigators discovered.

"The relationship with testosterone is complex, and appears dependent on a threshold level rather than direct correlation," the authors write. "Interventional trials are needed to determine whether testosterone replacement would improve quality of life in young male cancer survivors."